This application relates to a container for use with medical instruments and more particularly relates to a container which can be used to transport new sharp medical instruments to a place of use at a hospital or clinic and, after use of the sharp medical instruments the container may be used to dispose of the soiled or used medical instruments.
Prior art containers have been designed to facilitate the disposal of used sharp medical instruments such as scalpels, hypodermic syringes and needles or other biohazards. Such used sharp medical instruments may be contaminated by body fluids of the patient or for other reasons may require sanitary disposal. One such disposal device is a container which is useful for the disposal of sharp medical instruments such as needles or syringes as is disclosed and claimed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,554, issued Nov. 13, 1990.
While the prior art containers have beneficial characteristics, it is desirable to improve the ability to transport the sharp medical instruments when new and associate the used sharps or biohazards with the disposal containers. In the prior art, new sharp medical instruments are typically transported in one container and then must be associated with a disposable container after the sharp instruments are used. The purposes of the prior art container disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,969,554 is to reduce any excess carrying of soiled instruments by medical personnel. Since the transport and disposal containers are not associated, some carrying is required with the prior art.